Juan Antonio Samaranch

Juan Antonio Samaranch was the first person to be awarded an honorary doctorate, the university’s highest academic distinction, in recognition of his services to the Olympic movement. Until his death in 2010, Samaranch was the greatest advocate of sport in Spain. His election as President of the International Olympic Committee was decisive in bringing the 1992 Games to Barcelona, the first time the Olympics were held in Spain. The Barcelona Games were considered to be the best in Olympic history.

Antonio Lamela

One of Spain’s most prestigious architects, Antonio Lamela, was the second person to receive an honorary doctorate from the university. Also Honorary Director of the University School of Architecture and Technology, Lamela is responsible for some of Madrid’s most emblematic buildings, including the Colón Towers, the Santiago Bernabeu stadium and the extension of Barajas airport (this latter work with Richard Rogers).

Santiago Calatrava

Another internationally famous Spanish architect, Santiago Calatrava, whose work graces many places the length and breadth of the world, was the third recipient of an honorary doctor’s degree. During the award ceremony, Calatrava spoke of the importance of “new and young universities”. Referring to UCJC, he said: “You are living proof of the vitality of the university as an institution.”

Nicholas Negroponte and Bernardo Hernández

In a joint ceremony, the university awarded honorary doctorates to the architect, academic and computer scientist, Nicholas Negroponte, and to Bernardo Hernández, then Director of Product Management at Google. Negroponte, founder of the One Laptop per Child Association (OLPC) and of Wired Magazine, was honoured for a lifetime dedicated to innovation, the opening up of new avenues of knowledge, for his sensitivity to the most disadvantaged and for breaking down barriers for a more equal and just world.

Howard Gardner and Joseph Renzulli

Howard Gardner is Professor of Cognition and Education at the Graduate School of Education at Harvard University, where he is also Co-director and Chairman of the Management Committee of Project Zero, a research group that studies learning processes in children and adults. Internationally renowned for his theory of multiple intelligences, that has significantly changed the educational model, Gardner has identified at least eight different cognitive abilities.

Joseph Renzulli is Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Connecticut, where he also serves as director of the National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented.

Kim Jung Haeng

Kim Jung Haeng is President of Yong In University in South Korea and was, at the time of his award, Vice President of South Korea’s Olympic Committee (he became President in 2013). He was granted an honorary doctorate for his services to education and sport, and for combining the two at Yong In, making it one of South Korea’s most prestigious universities for elite sports performance.[/column]

Stephen G. Wozniak

Stephen G. Wozniak was awarded an honorary doctorate in recognition of what he represents as a role model for youth, and for society as a whole, because of his exceptional work in the fields of technology, innovation and education.

Wozniak is a computer science engineer, philanthropist and inventor, as well one of the world’s best known figures in information technology. The co-founder of Apple with Steve Jobs, Wozniak developed the Apple I and Apple II computers — inventions that proved such a landmark in the generalised use of personal computers.

University students at present neither seek nor need a conventional higher education. Traditional frameworks often restrict creativity and originality. At the same time, new generations live, interact and learn in a changing, interconnected environment. We train our students to face the challenges inherent to a dynamic society and the mutable nature of the professions through the humanities, science and technology. We thus look for those who are ready to reflect, debate and take on risk, both in thinking and in acting.